Finnish antibiotic resistance monitoring startup Resistomap has raised €2 million in seed funding. The round was led by European venture capital firm Ananda Impact Ventures, which invested in AIRMO, Resourcify, and Oneday, and saw participation from US-based co-investor Gaingels, along with further support from Business Finland’s R&D grant.
Resistomap will use the funds to develop a biosecurity intelligence platform tailored to address the complex and intricate challenges of environmental antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
With this round, Resistomap is embarking on an ambitious path towards realising a world where AMR is effectively monitored, understood, and managed, and where medical treatment remains able to save lives.
Platform to monitor and prevent AMR
AMR represents a pressing global health emergency, frequently referred to as the “silent pandemic”. Antibiotic resistance arises when bacteria adapt and develop resistance to the drugs designed to combat them. In 2019, it was estimated that AMR contributed to almost 5 million fatalities, a number predicted to soar to 10 million by 2050. Eventually, the urgency to address this threat cannot be overstated.
Led by CEO Windi Muziasari, Resistomap has developed one of the most extensive environmental AMR databases to date. Resistomap will evolve its services into an intelligence platform. Its biosecurity intelligence platform is set to revolutionise the way AMR is monitored in the environment and to enable action toward drastically reducing its dissemination. This platform will feature the integration of early-warning systems, in-depth genetic results, advanced prediction models on the spread of AMR and personalised recommendations for reducing its dissemination.
It is set to lead the way in environmental monitoring of antimicrobial resistance, adapting to the needs of a broad range of users. This includes wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), hospitals, long-term care facilities, pharmaceutical companies, agri- and aquaculture industries, food safety agencies, as well as public health authorities.
Windi Muziasari, CEO and Founder of Resistomap said: “Citing the Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus, “prevention is better than cure,” which resonates well with our mission at Resistomap to mitigate the global spread of antibiotic resistance and preserve the efficacy of antibiotics. To achieve this, we need an intelligent platform that leverages our environmental monitoring data. Our vision goes beyond AMR to build a comprehensive biosecurity platform that addresses a diverse array of disease-causing pathogens, encompassing both those already identified and those that remain undiscovered.”
Zoe Peden, Partner at Ananda Impact Ventures, stated: “For too long, antibiotic resistance has loomed as an approaching storm cloud, and so we take great pride in standing alongside Resistomap in its efforts to break this storm while pushing environmental health to the forefront of decision-making worldwide. This investment seamlessly aligns with our commitment to address multi-faceted, systemic global challenges. By fostering collaboration, innovation and robustness in the environmental health sector, we will make great strides toward a healthier future fighting antibiotic resistance.”
Tuomas Harju, Senior Adviser for the Health & Wellbeing Industry at Business Finland said: “Curbing the spread of antibiotic resistance is critical and there is a great need for innovative solutions to accomplish this. We are proud to support Resistomap on their mission to make continuous monitoring of antibiotic resistance a reality globally.”
